How to Write a Perfect Works Cited Page or Annotated Works Cited Page

What is MLA? MLA stands for Modern Language Association. It gives guidelines for preparing student research papers, projects and scholarly manuscripts in the humanities. “MLA style” refers to a system of citing research sources.

General MLA Format – Basics Typed on standard white printer paper. 12-point font. Times New Roman only. No bold or italics. Text of paper must be double-spaced, including the heading. Margins are set at 1 inch for left, right, top, and bottom (some software will set the margins at 1.25 inches for left and right – go in and reset manually). There must be a header on the right side that has the writer’s last name and the page number with five spaces in between.

Heading and Title Last Name 1 Stephen Drew Note: header to the right. Mrs. Smith English III – Period # 28 November 2016 Annotated Works Cited Page for “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe Note: header to the right. This is the correct order for information. The title of published stories are in quotation marks, but not the title of the paper

Purpose of the Works Cited Page Give credit to the sources from which you found your information Avoid plagiarism Help your reader locate information about your topic

Make Your Life Easier For the purposes of this research paper, make sure there is an author for all sources. If no author is listed and you want to use the source, then see your instructor. The lack of an author occurs when using an Internet source. Avoid using any Internet source with an address ending in “.com” unless approved by your instructor. HINT: Use sources found through the Elkins library

Steps to Writing Your Works Cited Page Start by locating your Source List. The Source List looks like this

Your Source List

Next, DO THE WORK Scan The Five Essential Elements of Literary Analysis Handout. Read the “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe. Using The Five Essential Elements of Literary Analysis Handout, chose one (1) element you would like to research that is found in the short story. Next, using the Elkins Library, find FIVE (5) sources that focus on your chosen essential element.

Record Your Source Details Scan (not read) the possible sources you might include on the Annotated Works Cited Page. Record the source information on your Source List. (DUE TUESDAY) Write a 8-sentence summary for each possible source either on your own paper or on the computer (MLA Format, please). (DUE WEDNESDAY) Chose the THREE (3) sources that best match your essential element. Highlight these on the Source List.

Put Sources in Order Highlight or circle the author’s LAST name in each entry If there is no author listed for an entry (and you have instructor approval to use the entry anyway), then highlight or circle the FIRST word in the title of the article or web page. Do this before moving on!

Alphabetical Order Your sources must be listed in alphabetical order Alphabetical order is by author’s LAST name OR first word in title of article or web page (with the exception of “the” and “a”) That is why you highlighted these words on your Source List

Now, Create the Annotated Works Cited Page

Works Cited Page The Works Cited Page appears at the end of your paper on its own page. Everything you referenced in your text must be listed in your Works Cited page. Conversely, everything you list in the Works Cited page must be cited in your essay. The Works Cited page provides the information needed for a reader to find and retrieve any source used in your paper.

Annotated Works Cited Page List sources in ABC order Annotated Works Cited Lists sources in ABC order Includes a summary beneath each source itself

Sample Works Cited Page *Sources are listed alphabetically Title “Works Cited” is centered at the top of the page Be sure that each citation has a format descriptor (properly placed within the citation) Indent all lines after the first ½ inch for each work listed *The entire Works Cited page is double-spaced All citations end in a period (.)

Most Citations Will Include: For a book, most of this information can be found on the title page and obverse of the title page. Author Title Publication information Format descriptor Gore, Albert. An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming. New York: Viking, 2007. Print. Last Name, First Period Italicized Title Format descriptor Period Period Year Period City Colon Publisher Comma

The MLA ‘Bible’ If you come across anything not mentioned in this presentation or need further information, consult the MLA Handbook (7th or 8th edition) in the library! There are many more examples and much useful information inside!

Set Up MLA Format for the Annotated Works Cited Start your Perfect Annotated Works Cited Page by setting up your document in MLA style. Next, type your header (change the font to TNR 12) and heading, then hit the enter key once. Center Annotated Works Cited for “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe” for the title. Do NOT use a large size font or a fancy font Make sure you spell it correctly!

COOL WORD FUNCTION – Populate the Reference Details FOLLOW THESE STEPS: Click the References Tab Style = MLA 7 (or 8 if it’s an option) Manage Sources New button Select Type of Source Check “Show All Bibliographical Fields” Fill out everything with a * using your Source List Click OK and Exit DO THIS FOR EACH SOURCE

Insert the Bibliography Entries on the Word Document FOLLOW THESE STEPS: Click on the References Tab Bibliography Insert Bibliography. The entries will populate in the Word document. HOORAY! Make all MLA Formatting changing needed.

DOUBLE CHECK YOUR MLA FORMATTING AT THIS POINT. THIS IS A NON-NEGOTIBLE!

Creating Hanging Indents If your works cited entry is too long for one line, then you must use a “hanging indent” format for the second line. Essentially, every line after the first is indented ½ of an inch. FOLLOW THESE STEPS: Highlight all of the entries now on your document. Go to the Home Screen Open the Paragraph section (little arrow) Special Hanging OK.

Grading Source List (A) – due Tuesday at the end of the period. Daily Grade Summaries (B) – due Wednesday at the end of the period. Daily Grade Perfect Annotated Works Cites Page (AB). Major Grade Due Thursday at the end of the period Four sources = 40 points (10 points each) 1 primary = short story 3 secondary = from the original five sources Each MLA error = 10 points deducted. Grading stops at 50 No retesting available (focus on skills, not comprehension)

Assistance with Works Cited The Burlington County Media Center has a license for “Noodle Tools.” MLA Handbook Another site that is helpful in building a Works Cited page is “Easybib.” Also, use Owl Purdue Use of these sites is not considered plagiarism; it is considered an excellent use of resources available in the information age.